I always thought that the deficit commission was a bad idea; it has only looked worse over time, as the buzz is that Democrats are caving in to Republicans, leaning ever further toward an all-cuts, no taxes solution, including a sharp rise in the retirement age.

I’ve also had my eye on Alan Simpson, the supposedly grown-up Republican co-chair, who has been talking nonsense about Social Security from the get-go.

At this point, though, Obama is on the spot: he has to fire Simpson, or turn the whole thing into a combination of farce and tragedy — the farce being the nature of the co-chair, the tragedy being that Democrats are so afraid of Republicans that nothing, absolutely nothing, will get them sanctioned.

When you have a commission dedicated to the common good, and the co-chair dismisses Social Security as a “milk cow with 310 million tits,” you either have to get rid of him or admit that you’re completely, um, cowed by the right wing, that IOKIYAR rules completely.

And no, an apology won’t suffice. Simpson was completely in character here; it was perfectly consistent with everything else he’s said, and with his previous behavior. He has to go.

It's time for heads to roll. It's time to stop making nice with conservatives. President Obama tried the bipartisan route and he got nothing in return. Republicans are all about obstruction, plain and simple. They want the president to fail.

Author:

Catherine [ Thu Aug 26, 2010 10:33 am ]

Post subject:

Re: Fire Alan Simpson

THANKS, Annie! Good to see you!

SIGNED A PETITION YESTERDAY, AND I DO HOPE OBAMA WILL FIRE HIM, BUT I'M NOT HOLDING MY BREATH!

THAT WOULD TAKE A COLLECTIVE SPINE-SHOWING FROM THE DEMOCRATS...WHICH OBAMA AND THE REST OF THEM DON'T SEEM TO HAVE MUCH OF.

Author:

anniefey [ Thu Aug 26, 2010 12:52 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Fire Alan Simpson

It's nice to be back.

======

August 25, 2010, 6:16 pm Simpson Apologizes to CriticBy JACKIE CALMES

Alan K. Simpson, the Republican co-chairman of President Obama’s bipartisan fiscal commission, removed his “size 15 feet” from his mouth to apologize to a critic on Wednesday for a stinging letter in which he compared Social Security to “a milk cow with 310 million tits.”

The apology came as some liberal groups and members of Congress who oppose any changes to Social Security benefits called on Mr. Obama to fire Mr. Simpson, a former senator from Wyoming long known for his irreverent and often biting remarks.

But at the White House, Jennifer Psaki, the deputy communications director, said, “Alan Simpson has apologized and while we regret and do not condone his comments, we accept his apology and he will continue to serve.”

The controversy stoked already heated opposition from the left to the panel Mr. Obama created to recommend by Dec. 1 ways to reduce the federal debt in the short term and the long. For the long term, changes to Social Security — to benefits and payroll taxes for future generations — are among the options.

Obama needs to "clean house" if he wants to have a ghost of a chance to win a second term in 2012. He might begin with Simpson, and make sure Tim G. follows soon thereafter.

Bi-partisanship isn't working very well for Obama.

Author:

A Proud Liberal [ Thu Aug 26, 2010 7:21 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Fire Alan Simpson

How about scrapping the whole idea of a deficient commission, the very idea is trap set by the Repugs. Simpson is just the tip of the iceberg of a plan to make Obama to have appeared to fail even though he inherited the situations from BushCo. We need a commission on job creation and economy stimulus without Repug obstructionism. Geithner is the public’s nightmare and a banker’s wet dream from the start, fire his ass.

Another attempt at bipartisanship that has been an abject failure is Secretary of Defense Gates. He should have been replaced by Wesley Clarke from day one. Tell the Repugs “screw you” and the weak links in the Dems, “grow a pair.”

Author:

Catherine [ Thu Aug 26, 2010 7:27 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Fire Alan Simpson

I'm afraid Barack Obama will be viewed by history as a good man who had good ideas, but tried to play too nice with the other political party, who were vampires. I can't understand why he and the Dems refuse to acknowledge that bipartisanship is not working, and is NOT going to work NOW, and not ever. It's fine to wear the white hat, but now and then that hat has to become a bit dirty to make yourself look less of a greenhorn.

A major veterans organization called on President Obama to remove Alan Simpson from the deficit commission for questioning why veterans are not "helping us to save the country" by foregoing health care benefits promised in return for their military service.

On Tuesday, Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyoming and currently the co-chair of a deficit commission looking into spending cuts, decried "the irony that the veterans who saved this country are now, in a way, not helping us to save the country in this fiscal mess."

Simpson wants to cut the national debt by slashing benefits for veterans. VoteVets.org, which represents 50,000 veterans and family members, has had enough. The group's chairman, Jon Soltz, said that veterans had been concerned by comments Simpson made disparaging Social Security, calling it "a milk cow with 310 million tits!" and suggesting that military pay be frozen.

The "final straw," writes Soltz, was Simpson calling for veterans' benefits to be cut.

"President Obama, this week you called for all Americans to honor and thank our troops. I know you agree that honoring our troops can't just be lip service. And the best way to honor those who serve our country is to make sure that we take care of them once they return home," he writes. "It has become all too clear that Senator Simpson cannot be trusted to objectively review the budget and make impartial recommendations about our nation's economic priorities. We ask that you remove him from his current position so that the commission can continue its work in a way that will give the military community--and all Americans--confidence in the conclusions it reaches."